Club Rules and Byelaws

The Writtle Bowling Club

  1. The Club
    • The Club shall be called THE WRITTLE BOWLING CLUB (the Club).
  1. The Objects
    • The objects of the Club shall be to provide facilities for members and their guests to play the game of bowls and to enjoy such other social amenities and functions as may from time to time be organised. The Club shall be affiliated Bowls England, Essex County Bowling Association (ECBA), Essex County Womens Bowling Association (ECWBA), Chelmsford & District Bowling Association (C&DBA), Central Mid-Week League (CMBL) and the Chelmer Ladies Bowls League. 
  1. The Affairs of the Club
    • The affairs of the Club shall be managed by a General Committee elected at the annual general meeting consisting of the President, Chairman (who shall not hold the offices of Secretary or Treasurer), Captain, Treasurer, Secretary, Match Secretary and Green Ranger hereafter referred to as ‘Officers’ of the Club and three others who shall be full Members of the Club (as hereinafter defined). The outgoing Chairman shall remain a member of the General Committee for a period of one year to provide continuity in the affairs of the Club. The offices of Vice Captain, Competition Secretary, Tour Secretary, ‘A’ League Team Captain, Press Officer and Catering Committee of not less than three full members together with ECBA, ECWBA, C&DBA, CMBL and Chelmer Ladies delegates shall be elected at the annual general meeting.
  2. The President and Deputy President
    • The Deputy President shall be elected at the annual general meeting and shall be entitled to attend meetings of the General Committee but not to vote thereat. Upon completion of the President’s term of office, the serving Deputy President shall save for exceptional circumstances be nominated for election to the office of President. Upon election, the President shall inform the annual general committee meeting of his or her intention to remain in office for one or two years. Only in exceptional circumstances approved at an annual general meeting will a President’s term of office exceed two consecutive years.
  3. The General Committee shall have the authority to: –
    • acquire equipment, maintain the property and facilities of the Club and take out any insurances for the Club players, guests and third parties;
    • raise funds by appeals, subscriptions and loans, borrow money and give security (such security for purpose of this subclause shall mean sums of money on deposit in the Club’s name) for the same and open bank accounts, set aside funds for special purposes or reserves, invest funds in any lawful manner, reinvest any surplus or gains in the Club;
    • co-operate with any bodies regulating or organising the game of bowls and any club or body involved with it and with government and related agencies;
    • do all other things reasonably necessary to advance the objects of the Club but not otherwise;
    • co-opt a full member of the Club to serve on the General Committee in the event of the resignation of an elected Committee member, such member to serve until the annual general meeting and to co-opt a full member to serve on a sub-committee until the annual general meeting;
    • at its first meeting following the annual general meeting, elect the following sub-committees: –
      • Bar Committee – consisting of three full members responsible for the management of the bar and the purchase, supply and sale of all intoxicating liquor;
      • Green Committee – consisting of the Green Ranger and two full members responsible for managing the work necessary to maintain a good playing surface and for recommending to the General Committee the purchase of necessary material or equipment to achieve this objective;
      • Selection Committees
        • Men: consisting of four full members and the ‘A’ league team Captain responsible for the selection of teams to be entered by the Club in ECBA and C&DBA competitions and the allocation of members’ handicaps. Three members of the sub-committee shall form a quorum;
        • Ladies: consisting of four full members responsible for the selection of teams to be entered by the Club in ECWBA, CMBL and Chelmer Ladies leagues and the allocation of members’ handicaps. Three members of the sub-committee shall form a quorum;
      • Social Committee – consisting of three full members responsible for arranging and organising the annual dinner dance and social or other functions that may be beneficial to the Club;
      • Catering Committee – consisting of at least three full members responsible for the purchase of provisions and the preparation of a catering rota of Club members to provide refreshments for fixtures and special occasions on dates and times decided by the General Committee;
      • Building Maintenance Committee – consisting of the Chairman, Treasurer and two full members responsible for the rebuilding and/or maintenance of the clubhouse and other structures that are the property of the Club;
      • Finance Committee – consisting of the Chairman, Treasurer and one full member responsible for the Clubs income and expenditure and to make recommendations to the General Committee on matters affecting the finances of the Club;
    • each sub-committee shall be responsible to and subject to the authority of the General Committee and responsible for taking minutes of their meetings and providing a copy thereof to the Secretary who shall be entitled to attend such meetings;
    • instruct the Secretary to provide the Officers, Vice Captain, Competition Secretary and ECBA and C&DBA delegates with a copy of the minutes of the general committee meetings following each meeting and whose reports shall be included in the business of the General Committee and any urgent business arising therefrom will be actioned by the Secretary on the instructions of the General Committee;
    • make, vary or rescind byelaws for regulating of the affairs of the Club provided such byelaws are not contrary to the provisions set out herein. Such byelaws when posted on the Club noticeboard shall be binding on all members of the Club.
  1. General Committee Quorum
    • Six members of the General Committee shall form a quorum. Any member of the General Committee not attending three consecutive meetings and failing to send a written or telephone apology to the Secretary shall cease to be a member of the General Committee.
  1. General Committee Indemnity
    • The Club shall in conjunction with the objects of the Club indemnify the General Committee and its members against any liability incurred whilst acting properly in the course of the management of the affairs of the Club.
  1. Classes of Members
    • There are three classes of Members: –
      • gentlemen and lady members;
      • honorary life members (both classes shall for the purpose of the rules be deemed to be full members);
      • non-voting social members.
    • All full members of the Club shall upon request have access to the accounts of the Club and the minutes of the general committee meetings.
    • A person otherwise eligible for membership may be elected a temporary member for any period up to a total of four weeks in any one year on such terms and conditions as the General Committee may from time to time determine. The name of any member felt worthy of honorary life membership shall be submitted in writing to the General Committee who will decide if the name of the member shall be submitted for election by ballot at an annual general meeting. No member shall be elected an honorary life member except by election at an annual general meeting.
  1. Application for Membership
    • Subject to the available facilities, applications for membership shall be open to anyone interested in the game of bowls regardless of sex, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs and application for membership shall be made in writing in accordance with the Club’s current application form.
  1. Candidates for Membership of the Club
    • Candidates for membership of the Club shall be proposed and seconded by a full member both of whom shall be a member with a minimum of two years membership of the Club. A completed application form shall be sent to the Secretary who will display the application form on the Club noticeboard for a period of 10 days before submission to the General Committee. Candidates shall be interviewed by three members of the General Committee who will make their recommendations to the full Committee. Candidates shall be elected for membership of the Club by a majority vote of the General Committee.
    • A candidate elected to membership of the Club shall serve a probation period of one year from the date of election. If during that period the member shall be in breach of the rules or by conduct on or off the green not in accordance with acceptable standards of behaviour be interviewed by the Chairman and Secretary following which a warning may be issued as to the member’s future conduct.
    • In the event that during the probation period membership of the Club shall be withdrawn, the Club will reimburse the member the entrance fee in full and such proportion of the annual subscription, as the General Committee shall determine.
    • The General Committee shall notify the member in writing upon satisfactory completion of the probation period.
  1. Members’ Guests
    • Any member may introduce guests into the Club’s premises subject to the following conditions: –
      • no guest shall be introduced who has been refused membership of the Club or has been expelled from membership of the Club;
      • no guest or playing guest shall be introduced for more than six days in any one year or for more than two days in any one month if they are eligible for membership;
      • the name and address of every guest introduced shall be entered by the member in the Member’s Guest Book and the member introducing them shall sign their name against the name and address of their guest;
      • all playing guests must be bona fide bowlers and shall pay a green fee as agreed by the General Committee and posted on the Club noticeboard, a copy of which shall also be maintained on the flyleaf of the Members’ Guest Book.
  1. Visitors to the Club
    • Visitors may be permitted to the Club’s premises for the purpose of playing bowls or watching bowls tournaments, competitions or matches and the Club may sell intoxicating liquor for consumption on the premises to such visitors.
  1. Annual Subscription
    • The annual subscription shall be due for payment on or before the 1st April in each year. Any member who fails to pay the annual subscription by 1st May shall be deemed to have resigned their membership of the Club. A full member may consult the Chairman and Treasurer privately who shall be empowered to accept any subscription they consider to be justified without disclosing the name of the member concerned to any other member of the Club. A candidate admitted as a full member during the playing season shall within 28 days of election pay such proportion of the annual subscription, as the General Committee shall determine.
  1. Entrance Fee
    • Candidates shall within 28 days of a notice of election to membership being posted to them by the Secretary pay an entrance fee current at the date of election in addition to the annual subscription. Candidates who fail to pay their entrance fee and annual subscription by the due date shall be deemed to have forfeited their right to membership.
  1. Resignation from the Club
    • A member who hands or posts their resignation in writing to the Secretary shall be deemed to have resigned from membership of the Club forthwith.
  1. Expulsion of Members
    • The General Committee may at any time and at its absolute discretion invite the resignation of any member who in its opinion by conduct or character has acted in a manner likely to bring the Club or the game of bowls into disrepute or acted contrary to the interests of the Club or the rules. If such member fails to resign within 15 days of such an invitation, the General Committee shall submit evidence for expulsion to an extraordinary general meeting of the Club to be convened and held as soon as is practicable. A notice of such meeting shall be sent by registered post to the member concerned together with a statement of the evidence and an invitation to refute such evidence. If a majority of the members present at the extraordinary general meeting (excluding the member concerned) vote for expulsion then the member concerned shall cease to be a member of the Club forthwith. Following the invitation from the General Committee to a member to resign and pending the decision of an extraordinary general meeting convened to consider the matter, the General Committee may at its absolute discretion exclude the member from the Club’s premises. 
  1. Opening of the Club’s Premises
    • The Club’s premises may be opened to members and their guests from 10am to 11pm daily. The General Committee shall have authority to alter these times for special occasions.
  1. The Green
    • At the discretion of the Green Ranger and the General Committee, the green will normally be open for play on each day from 10am to dusk. Prior permission must be obtained from two General Committee members not participating for play at other times. Two Officers of the Club shall have the authority to close the green.
  1. Permitted hours
    • The hours during which intoxicating liquor may be supplied and consumed on the Club premises shall be from 11am to 11pm each weekday and 12 noon to 10.30pm on Sundays.
    • No player shall be permitted to take any drink out of the clubhouse whilst their game is in progress unless any such drink is contained in a non-breakable container as approved by the Bar Committee.
  1. Laws of the Game
    • The Rules of the Bowls England shall be recognised as the laws of the game.
  1. Dress Code (2015 and as amended in 2024)
    • Members shall: –
      • when on the green, wear flat soled bowls footwear;
      • when playing internal games, wear the sponsored club shirt or the previous club shirt with no sponsors’ logos on it;
      • when representing the Club in games or competitions against other clubs and on Club Finals Day, wear the club shirt with the sponsors’ logos on it;
      • in the case of gentlemen members, wear tailored trousers or shorts or official Bowls England shorts of a mid-shade of grey, black or white as appropriate; in the case of lady members, wear trousers, including cropped trousers, tailored shorts or official Bowls England shorts of a mid-shade of grey, black or white as appropriate or a skirt of a mid-shade of grey or white;
      • be permitted to wear a predominantly white bowls waterproof jacket and/or the official navy blue sleeved or sleeveless waistcoat with the authorised Club badge or a white sleeved or sleeveless sweater;
      • where games are played away, the dress code shall as far as practicable be that which is compatible with the rules of the away club;
      • when it is appropriate to do so, gentleman members may wear a blue blazer with Club badge, white shirt and Club tie, and lady members a blue blazer with Club badge, white blouse and Club colours.
  1. Dress code in the Clubhouse
    • Dress in the clubhouse shall at all times be that which will not offend but will show respect to other Club members, visitors and guests, and the Club.
  1. Extraordinary General Meeting
    • The Secretary shall convene an extraordinary general meeting upon instruction from the General Committee or upon a requisition signed by eight full members and shall give to each member of the Club seven days clear notice of such meeting at which the question at issue will be decided by a majority ballot.
  1. Annual General Meeting
    • The annual general meeting of the Club shall be held once in every calendar year and not more than 15 months after the date of the last annual general meeting and within two calendar months after closing the Club’s annual accounts. Seven days clear written notice of the meeting shall be given to each full member.
  1. Alterations or Addition to Rules
    • No alteration or addition to the rules shall be made except by a resolution carried by a majority vote of the members present at an annual general meeting, notice of which shall have been given at least seven clear days in advance and shall have contained particulars of the proposed alteration or addition.
  1. Audit of the Club Annual Accounts
    • Two members not being members of the General Committee shall be appointed honorary auditors for the purposes of examining the annual accounts of the Club.
  1. Trustees
    • There shall be no more than four Trustees of the Club who shall be full members and appointed by resolution of the members at the annual general meeting. The property of the Club (other than cash which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) shall be vested in them to be dealt with as the General Committee shall with the approval of the members from time to time direct by resolution. The Trustees shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of the Club property. The Trustees shall hold office until death or resignation or until removed from office by a resolution of the members who may for any reason which may seem sufficient to the majority of them present and voting at any annual general meeting remove any Trustee or Trustees from the office of Trustee. Whereby reason of any such death, resignation or removal it should appear necessary to the members that a new Trustee or Trustees should be appointed or if the members shall deem it expedient to appoint an additional Trustee or Trustees, the members shall by resolution in general meeting nominate the person or persons to be appointed the new Trustee or Trustees.
  1. The Property of the Club
    • The property of the Club shall be owned equally by its members and no member other than full members shall have any interest in the property of the Club. On the death, retirement or expulsion of full members, they shall thereupon cease to have any interest therein.
  1. Definition of Rules
    • In the event of any question arising to the meaning or interpretation of these rules or the byelaws and regulations, the General Committee shall act as interpreter and its decision shall be binding.
  2. The Rules
    • These Rules shall be published and issued to each full member of the Club.

BYELAWS

BYELAW 1-2000
Dated 03/04/2000
Protection of the Green
It is the responsibility of all players, markers and umpires to refrain from committing any act that is liable to cause damage to the green and its surrounds.
Responsibility for ensuring that groundsheets are used if the playing surface is likely to be or is being damaged during the course of play shall be as follows: –

  • in a team game  = the Writtle skip(s)
  • in a singles game = the Writtle player(s) involved.
    An Officer of the Club shall have the authority to require the use of groundsheets.
    The General Committee may request a Writtle member who habitually damages the green to refrain from bowling until remedial action has been taken by the member.

BYELAW 2-2000
Dated 03/04/2000
Introduction of New Bowlers
To introduce non-players to the game of bowls, members’ guests may, under strict supervision at all times, be allowed to play a few ends with the following provisions: –

  • groundsheets are used;
  • appropriate footwear to be worn that will not damage the green;
  • the above introduction will not be accepted as a Beginners Course which will be required if the non-player decides to become a member of the Club;
  • no such introductory game will be allowed if there is an official game being played.

BYELAW 1/93
Dated 24/01/2000
Green Fees
The green fee for visitors will be £2.50p per game. This fee to be placed in the green fee box.
The Member introducing the visitor will be responsible for the fees being paid.

BYELAW 3/93
Dated 18/11/2000 and amended 2014
Priority of Play: Monday, Thursday and Friday
Monday afternoon from 1:30pm to 5:00pm, all rinks to be reserved for roll-ups unless external or representative games are scheduled to be played, then requisite rinks must be allocated to the external games.  All other games shall require the approval of three General Committee members before a booking or play is allowed. The three General Committee members asked for approval shall not be taking part in any game for which approval is required.
Thursday afternoon

  • First priority = as fixture list
  • Second priority = booked competitions
  • Spare rinks = roll-ups

Friday evening to be reserved for the Friday Club Drive unless a County Fours match is scheduled to be played then requisite rinks must be allocated to County and C&DBA games. All other games shall require the approval of three General Committee members before a booking or play is allowed. The three General Committee members asked for approval to play shall not be taking part in any game for which approval is required.

It is not permissible to book a rink for a roll-up

BYELAW 2007.1
Dated 17/09/2007
Rink Bookings
Priority Order

  1. All matches arranged in advance as printed in the handbook
  2. Individual and Club County Competitions (fixed dates)
  3. Club County competitions
  4. Club C&D competitions and Hospital Cup
  5. Individual County competitions (non fixed dates)
  6. Individual C&D competitions, individual CMBL competitions and Chelmer Ladies Pairs
  7. Internal Club competitions
  8. Coaching sessions

BYELAW 2007.2
Dated 17/09/2007
Competitions
If anyone intending to enter Club competitions is aware that they will not be available to play on finals day, they should not enter any competitions. Anyone who reaches the final and is then unable to play on finals day will be prohibited from entering Club competitions in the following year, unless such unavailability is due to unforeseen circumstance and is accepted as such by the Committee.

BYELAW 2005.1
Dated 06/07/2005
Social Members
There shall not be more than 20 non-voting social members of the Club. This number may only be exceeded if a full member or former full member wishing to become a social member would otherwise be excluded by imposition of the limit.

BYELAW 2014.1
No Smoking Policy
There will be no smoking anywhere on Club premises, including the green and the grounds.